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Samarth Conclave drives India’s accessible future
DELHI: India is shifting gears on inclusion, and this time it is making sure no one is left waiting at the kerb. At the Samarth India Conclave and Expo 2025 in Delhi, Hyundai Motor India Limited and Times Network steered a lively national conversation on accessibility, technology and equal opportunity for persons with disabilities.
Held under the ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative, the conclave brought together ministers, policymakers, technologists and advocates to explore how inclusive design and assistive innovation can unlock the full potential of millions. The highlight was the launch of the Samarth Accessibility Metric, created by Times Network and Samarthyam Centre for Universal Accessibility, which provides India’s first structured rating system for accessible public and private mobility spaces.
The Expo added a hands-on dimension, with startups and innovators displaying adaptive mobility devices, AI-led navigation aids and accessible digital tools. Organisations including NCPEDP, ALIMCO, the National Association for the Blind and XL Cinemas presented solutions tailored to diverse disability needs.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju underscored the government’s commitment to dignity and equal access, noting the shift in social attitudes since the adoption of the term Divyang. He highlighted parity in support for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and called assistive technology essential to a disability-neutral India.
Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat emphasised that accessibility must define India’s rise. He said inclusive tourism is a national priority, citing AI-enabled travel guidance, screen-reader-friendly platforms, sign-language tours and sensory-inclusive events as examples of progress. He added that India is no longer following global standards but setting them across airports, museums, smart cities and heritage projects.
Hyundai Motor India’s managing director Unsoo Kim said the company sees mobility as momentum for change, noting that Samarth by Hyundai represents its commitment to human-centred mobility. COO Tarun Garg added that accessibility is a fundamental right, and the conclave aims to accelerate transformative solutions that deliver measurable impact for people with disabilities.
Times Network stated that the initiative aligns with the Group’s decades-long role in shaping national conversations, and that amplifying Hyundai’s accessibility mission reflects its own ethos.
Now in its second year, Samarth by Hyundai continues to champion empowerment through action. With support for para-athletes, inclusive sporting events, accessible infrastructure, student outreach and the pledge for inclusivity movement, the initiative reinforces a simple truth, when capability is enabled, ambition becomes unstoppable.
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India’s AI Future Gets a Neural Kick-Off in Delhi
NDTV IND.AI Summit on 18 Feb 2026 to debate governance, ethics, and India’s big-tech ambitions.
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence is about to get a very Delhi welcome smart, spirited, and ready to out-think the room. On 18 February 2026, New Delhi plays host to the inaugural NDTV IND.AI Summit, a high-stakes pow-wow that promises to put India’s AI ambitions under the brightest spotlight yet. Billed as a deep dive into how artificial intelligence is already rewiring the nation’s economy, policy playbook, and strategic dreams, the one-day event is curated by NDTV in partnership with the Startup Policy Forum. At its core lies a single, sharp question: how do you unleash AI’s transformative power while keeping trust, equity, and sanity intact?
The guest list reads like a who’s-who of global AI heavyweights. Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak headlines a special session on AI in governance, sharing hard-won lessons on how the technology is reshaping statecraft and decision-making. Joining the fray are OpenAI’s Chris Lehane, UC Berkeley’s AI safety pioneer Stuart Russell, and Google’s James Manyika, voices that will anchor India firmly in the international conversation on accountability, risk, and cross-border cooperation.
Beyond the policy wonks, the Summit rolls up its sleeves for real-world impact. General Catalyst’s Hemant Taneja and other top-tier investors will unpack how AI is redrawing the rules of capital, innovation, and long-term value creation. Separate tracks will tackle AI’s footprint in workplaces, large-scale adoption, productivity shifts, evolving job roles, and organisational culture. India’s digital public infrastructure, often hailed as a global blueprint for inclusive tech gets its own spotlight, alongside a dedicated segment on AI sovereignty: what does true national control look like in a borderless tech universe?
NDTV CEO and editor-in-chief Rahul Kanwal framed the event’s bigger picture, “The IND.AI Summit is about the kind of future we are choosing to build. India has the scale, the talent, and the moral imagination to shape how AI serves society and this Summit is our way of bringing the most credible voices together to define that direction.”
In a world where AI chatter can feel abstract, the New Delhi gathering aims to ground the debate in India’s own story, one that ties cutting-edge innovation to public purpose, domestic priorities to global influence, and raw ambition to responsible stewardship. Whether you’re an algorithm enthusiast or just mildly curious about tomorrow’s headlines, this Summit is India signalling it’s not just catching the AI wave, it intends to help steer it.
